Good Night, Baby Private
by ladywhiplasher
Summary: A quick oneshot I made from a fanart I ve drawn a while ago. Baby Private arrives at the zoo, but Skipper cant accept, that he would be a dad for this baby now. But after the first night, he cant deny his paternal affection anymore, please read and review


Good Night, Baby Private

Morning dawned at Central Park Zoo. Skipper climbed out the hatch and inhaled the fresh scent of a new days breeze. "Coming, boys?" the leader asked and looked around the flock. But something was different this time. Skipper noticed a small, fluffy ball on the edge of the concrete island.

"What is it, Skipper?" Kowalski asked as the other penguin stared at it. "What´s that over there? Kowalski, analysis!" Skipper ordered and he, Kowalski and Rico gathered around the fluffy ball. "Well, Skipper it seems like we´ve got company. Its a baby penguin" the scientist explained, poking the sleeping baby with the tip of his flipper. Suddenly the penguin awoke and rubbed his eyes. "Awwww" Rico said affectionately.

"Dada?" the baby chirped confused and took a look at the three pengiuns standing around it. "A baby, seriously? What shall we do with a baby penguin? We´re an elite force, not babysitters" Skipper said rejecting and crossed his flippers over his chest. "But Skipper, its so cute" Kowaski said and lifted the little guy from the ground. He watched as the little penguin smiled at him and began stroking his head.

"Gootchi Goo!" Rico babbled and made a funny grimace. The baby laughed softly and looked at Skipper, who was the only one, who had not been drawn into the spell of the babys cuteness. Stern he looked at it. Suddenly they heard Alice passing the penguin habitat, talking to her colleague. "Yo, Alice. What did you do with the baby penguin? the colleague asked. "Well I took him to the penguins habitat, I´m sure they´ll care about him. I don´t have time for babysitting" Alice explained in her usual, annoyed voice. "Where did you get him from?" the other guy asked.

"He´s been found in Antarctica, his parents killed by some seals" Alice said and both zookeepers made their way their office. The penguin watched them passing and turned to the baby again. "So it´s a male, she said and I think he´s supposed to stay here. Poor little guy, his parents are dead and he´s got no one who cares about him... until now" Kowalski said, pushing the small, fluffy baby to his chest.

"Yeah, sad story, boo-hoo. Well I think, we should give him a name" Skipper said, taking a closer look at the baby. "Mhh, let me think" Kowalski said, tipping on the peak of his beak thoughtfully. "Okay, he´s supposed to stay here, right? So he´s a new recruit to this unit. It´s a Private" Skipper said and looked at his team mates. "Private? Are you sure?" the scientist asked, looking confused at his leader. "Of course. And another reason for his name is, he´s a child without a name, without parents and without a past. He won´t tell us anything about himself, so everything remains private" Skipper explained and crossed his flippers over his chest, as he wouldn´t allow any other comment.

"Okay, his name is Private. Well, I think I could get used to that" Kowalski retorted, making it official. "Private!" Rico cooed and took the little baby from the scientists flippers, hugging him. "Okay, we named him, let´s start the training" Skipper said and turned around. "Uhm and what shall we do with him?" Kowalski asked. "Well, we should get him a babysitter" the leader responded and thought for a moment.

"Maybe the chimps? They seemed to be the only, well, sanely animals in the zoo here" Kowalski explained and watched Skipper thinking. "Guess you´re right, okay, you bring him to the chimps and Rico and I will start the training" Skipper ordered and Kowalski took the baby and left the island. "What´s wrong?" Rico asked Skipper, who had already noticed his leaders rejecting and heartless behaviour.

"I´m fine, Rico. It´s just... I´m... nothing, it´s nothing, Rico" Skipper burst out and lowered his head. "Awww, don´t worry, we´ll make it, together" Rico said softly, trying to calm his leader and put a flipper on Skippers shoulder. Rico felt that Skipper struggled with showing his affection and he felt sympathy for his leader. "Thanks, Rico" Skipper whispered, giving his weapons expert a little smile.

Kowalski returned after ten minutes. "They said, they´ll keep him until dawn, but then we have to take care of him ourselves. I think, we should skip the training today and make the HQ baby proof and getting him a bed and other baby stuff" the scientist said, but Skipper interrupted him. "No, no we won´t. We´ll follow our schedule as usual. Then we can take care of the baby part. I think getting him a bed will be enough for today" Skipper explained, still keeping his frosty attitude.

So they did their training and it was exhausting as usual. Even Skipper was panting when they were finished. But soon they realized, that they had trained longer than they intended to. Actually, they trained the whole day and the sun was going down already. "Oh, look at the time. I think this little badger wants to get to his... daddys" Mason the chimp said, entering the penguin habitat along with Phil. Skipper felt a sting in his heart, when he heard the word ´daddy´.

"How was your babysitting?" Kowalski asked, taking the baby. "Oh it was a... disaster. He cried the whole day, no matter what we did. I think he wants you guys around him, it seemed he really missed you" Mason explained, slightly happy about getting rid of the baby again. "Awww, you missed us?" Kowalski asked the baby, who still had watery eyes. "What shall we do now? We even haven´t got a bed for him and it´s already late. Where should we purchase a bed from now?" Skipper asked and looked at the puzzled scientist.

"Well, I think we have no choice than to build a bed from some stuff in the HQ. I´m sure we´ll find something, he can sleep on" Kowalski said. Unfortunately they had nothing than a small cage, but Skipper thought it will work for this one night. Kowalski and Rico doubted his plans, but they had no other choice. "Skipper, give him a pillow at least. A baby needs warmth and nearness, from someone its close to" Kowalski explained. "I won´t cuddle with him, Kowalski. I´m a trained soldier, not a daddy" Skipper barked loudly, causing Private starting to cry.

Rico and Kowalski looked at their leader with a slight angry expression. "What´s your problem, Skipper. Why are you so cold-hearted?" Kowalski growled, hugging the baby to calm him. "I don´t have a problem, I just don´t have time for raising a child! I never wanted to have children! I´m not ready to be a dad!" Skipper yelled and turned away. Kowalski and the weapons expert had never expected such a reaction from their leader. They knew, that caring for a child would change their lives forever, but the scientist and the mad penguin were taking it positive.

When Skipper calmed down, no one dared talking about this issue again. Kowalski just rocked the baby to sleep and laid him into his makeshift bed, locking the door of the cage so he couldn´t get out. "It´s time to hit the bunks, men" Skipper said, yawning and rubbing his eyes. The penguins laid down in their bunks and soon, Skipper heard Ricos and Kowalskis loud snoring. But the leader had trouble falling asleep. Too many thoughts and worries were circling around in his mind, which were mostly centered about the baby.

After hours of pondering, he finally fell asleep, but the sleeping penguins didn´t notice, that Private was awake again. He yawned and got up, wrapping his tiny flippers around the iron bars of the door of his cage. He slightly jogged on them and the door opened with a quietly squeak, because Kowalski accidently had missed to lock it properly. Private stumbled out of the cage and fell to the ground.

He looked around and saw the other penguins sleeping in their bunks. Quickly he ran towards them with his tiny feet. He stopped at the lower bunk, where Skipper was sleeping. The baby already felt, that Skipper didn´t like him, but his instinct made him wanting to sleep in his parents bed. Actually he liked Skipper, he felt save and sound when he was near, although the leader had never even held him in his flippers.

"Dada?" Private cooed, trying to sound as loud as he could. Nothing happened and Skipper was still sleeping deeply. The baby repeated his attempt of waking the leader, but the penguin just turned on his back with a loud snorer and his flipper hung over the edge of his bed. Private saw his chance and got on the tips of his toes, trying to reach Skippers flipper. He streched himself and finally reached it with his own fluffy wing, pulling on the olders flipper.

But Skipper felt it immediatly and jolted from his sleep. "Who´s there?" the leader panted, dazed. Private startled, he had been accidently pulled up along with Skippers flipper and through this action he was sent across the floor, hitting the ground with his back. Skipper heard a thud and turned around. A quiet sobbing filled the room and the leader got out of his bed. "What happened, what are you doing outside your bed? You should be asleep" Skipper whispered, trying not to wake his team mates.

He watched the little baby crying and lifted him up from the ground. "Let´s get you to bed again" the leader said, but Private didn´t want to go to his cold cage again. When Skipper tried to lay him down, the baby grasped his chestfeathers and held on tightly. "Nono" Private sobbed and pushed himself closer to Skipper. "You can´t stay up all night" the leader said softly, trying to make the baby let go of his chestfeathers, before he even pulled some out.

But the baby was like a tick and didn´t release Skippers feathers. The leader sighed and returned to his bed along with Private. Only when Skipper laid down, the baby let go of him and the leader placed him on his belly. Skipper looked into the baby´s light blue eyes and began smiling unwittingly. But the baby looked back with a sad expression on his face, as if he would like to ask "Why are you hating me?" Skipper felt a sting in his heart and decided to push his doubts and fears aside, trying to show his real emotions for the baby.

"Okay, you won...I don´t hate you, I´m just... nervous. I don´t know how to raise a child, actually I´m a little afraid of. But I´m trying my best not to ruin it, I promise" Skipper explained to the baby, hoping that he would understand. Slowly he raised his flipper and stroked the little penguins back affectionately. Private smiled back and and got on his feet. Skipper felt the cold, tiny feet walking over his body, closer and closer to his face.

"Hey, what are you..." the leader asked, confused, but he was silenced by a pair of tiny, fluffy flippers wrapping around his neck. Private pressed his head on Skippers cheek and nuzzled it tenderly. Skippers smile grew wider and wider, feeling a pleasant sensation taking over his heart. Now all of his fears and doubts were vanished and he started to feel paternal love for this baby. Skipper knew he had to get used to be a dad, but he also knew that he really wanted to be it now.

Cautiously he took the baby and hugged him tightly, while Private was giving him the biggest and cutest smile he had ever seen. They cuddled for a while until Private began yawning. "Okay, I think its time to go to bed now" Skipper whispered and rested his head on his pillow again. Private slowly crawled up to the leaders chest and curled himself up, right above Skippers heart. The leader let out a pleasant sigh and stroked the babys back, while Private was snuggling himself on Skippers chest.

"Good night, Baby Private" the leader whispered, bend his head and placed a soft kiss on the small penguins head. Private let out a purring sound and closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep while listening to Skippers heartbeat. The leader grabbed the corner of his blanked and covered Private and himself with it. Soon both fell asleep, happy about being like father and son now. Private slept so soundly on his bed of soft, warm feathers and didn´t wake up this night anymore.

On the next morning, Kowalski and Rico got up later than usual, both were confused, because Skipper hadn´t woke them up already. Quietly they got out of their beds and Kowalski yawned loudly. Suddenly he felt Rico nudging his side. "Look" he whispered and both turned their faces to Skippers bunk. They couldn´t believe what they were seeing for a moment but Kowalski and Rico released a quiet "awwwww". "Seems like Skipper´s ready to be a dad now" Kowalski whipsered to the weapons expert, but Rico had a slightly different idea.

Quickly he waddled into Kowalskis lab and fetched a camera. "We´ll always remember that moment" Rico grunted and took a photo of the sleeping penguins. Half an hour later, Skipper and Private woke up too, both yawned and smiled at each other. "Looks like you like him now" Kowalski said and Skipper nodded. "I know we had a tough start but now I´m ready to be his dad, Kowalski. I never thought I would say that, but I love that little guy, as if he would be my very own child" Skipper explained and stroked Privates back, who smiled at the action. From this night on, Private was part of the unit and Skipper cared for him like a father for his son... from then ´til now.

Note: Hope you liked this quick one shot, here´s the link of the fanart I´ve made. Its on fanpop

.com/spots/penguins-of-madagascar/images/25594972/title/skipper-baby-private-fanart


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